You and I
by amaya-tsuki-chan
Summary: AU. Two college students get married at the behest of their parents. Hinata wishes she could have married Naruto instead. Shikamaru wishes his wife was less troublesome. It takes two people to make a marriage work, arranged or not. ShikaHina.
1. Chapter 1

Hinata swallows and then begins to unbutton her shirt. Her eyes are squeezed shut and blood is pounding in her ears. He is saying something, but she can't quite hear it. Before she can shrug off her top, a hand halts her.

"—op. Hinata, _stop_."

She opens her eyes. Shikamaru is clutching her shirt closed, his ears red, and his gaze focused solely on her face. Something in her withers a little.

"I—I'm sorry. I did something wrong, didn't I?"

"Hinata," he says, eyebrows pinched, "we don't have to consummate our marriage right away. Our parents aren't expecting a grandchild until we finish college."

"…Yes."

He removes his hand, so she buttons her shirt back up with a red face.

"I don't—I don't want you to feel like you're being forced."

She breathes a little easier at that. "Okay."

There's an awkward moment once Shikamaru crawls back into bed, because Hinata will have to lie down beside him after failing to seduce him. With shaking hands, she lifts the covers and settles herself as far away from Shikamaru as she can possibly be on the mattress. They face opposite directions.

Neither of them falls asleep quickly.

Hinata curls in on herself, staring hard at the wall in the darkness. "Shikamaru?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you," she whispers.

She feels the bed shift as he turns around briefly to look at her, before flipping over again to face away from her. He doesn't respond, but she thinks he doesn't need to.

They're both in this together.


	2. Chapter 2

"So, when are you going to invite us to your new apartment?" demands Ino.

Hinata cringes at the question, but Ino is frowning at Shikamaru. He doesn't respond, his cheek propped up with a hand and his eyes glazed over. Hinata thinks he went to sleep at three, finishing an essay that was apparently due that day.

Ino jabs her chopsticks in his face. "Hello? Earth to Shikamaru!"

He blinks, and then looks past Ino. "The ramen is here."

"You—" She is cut off when a bowl of ramen is placed in front of her. Ino settles for glaring at Shikamaru as she thanks the waiter.

Their table is already erupting in noise. It's mostly because of the other blond sitting with them. Hinata looks over the group, smiling. Unfortunately, a lot of people are missing. Today, there are only five of them, including Hinata and Shikamaru. Tenten and Naruto are arguing fiercely over something, with Sai occasionally adding inappropriate comments. She hasn't seen them in a while, so the sight makes her giggle. It's times like these that make her wish she still lived in the dorms where their group first came together.

"Well, what about you, Hinata?" prompts Ino. "Can we visit your house?"

Hinata resists the urge to look at Shikamaru.

"I don't think . . . my father would let me invite people over." She bows her head apologetically. "I'm sorry."

The blonde smiles. "It's alright. At least you have a valid excuse, unlike _Shikamaru_."

Almost unconsciously, Hinata glances over at Shikamaru. He meets her eyes evenly, his face blank, before he slowly raises his eyebrows the longer she stares. Face red, she coughs into her soup and averts her gaze.

"I'll find out somehow," promises Ino, narrowing her eyes at Shikamaru.

He shrugs, chewing slowly on his noodles. Hinata wonders what it must be like, to live so carefree. It's almost like he doesn't care that he's married to a girl he doesn't even love, doesn't even know that well. He acts like nothing has really changed.

She's a little jealous.

Someone nudges her shoulder. Hinata squeaks, glancing up at Naruto's beaming face.

"Hinata, it's been a while! I was going to say hi earlier, but Ino was hogging you," he tells her with a pout.

Her face flushes red, and her eyes dart down to stare holes into the floor. "Oh. Naruto-kun." The stilted words sounded foreign, even to herself.

There is a strange pause. She looks up, but not at Naruto. At her other side is Ino, staring at Hinata with a crease between her brows and a frown on her lips. Hinata keeps her face pointed away from Naruto, smiling wanly at Ino. In the corner of her eye, sitting beside Shikamaru, Tenten has her mouth slightly open in surprise. She _should_ have been sitting next to Hinata, because Hinata had planned on avoiding Naruto as much as she could while still enjoying the presence of her friends. Apparently, Tenten and Naruto had switched seats so he could talk to Hinata, and the mere thought that Naruto wants to be closer to her makes her heart pound.

Her chest hurts.

". . . Hinata? Are you okay?"

She grasps her chopsticks firmly, knuckles white. "Of course, Naruto-kun."

Sai is blinking in confusion. He opens his mouth, but Ino silences him with a wave of her arm, staring intently at Hinata. The gaze is too probing for Hinata's liking.

Turning to look at her noodles, Hinata catches a quick glimpse of Shikamaru from across the table, his face in a distinct expression of pity. Her hand trembles slightly—she's weak and angry and sad and heartbroken—as she stares down at the ramen. The attempt to distract herself by eating fails when the noodles fall limply from her chopsticks just before they can reach her mouth.

Soup splashes lightly over the edges of the bowl. A droplet slides down the porcelain, a salty tear trailing over a pale cheek. Hinata wants to cry.

The marriage between her and Shikamaru had come at a terrible time. Naruto no longer had a crush on Sakura, and he and Hinata had gone on a date a day before she found out about the arranged marriage. She and Naruto were supposed to go on a second date because the first had gone so _well_ , but Hinata had canceled because it conflicted with her wedding.

She loves Naruto, but she can't condone cheating, regardless of the distinct lack of romance in her marriage. The prospect of dating Naruto no longer exists. It's unfortunate that her feelings for him haven't changed, aside from their new edges of heartbreak and frustration.

"Hinata." She doesn't want to hear Shikamaru's voice right now. He sounds blank, unemotional, and she can only wish that she could be as unaffected when facing a lost opportunity.

Which is the best thing to describe Naruto, rather than an ex-boyfriend or anything of the like. Hinata has spent many hours and days wondering if she would have been urged to marry Shikamaru, had she already been dating Naruto. She doesn't know. All she knows is that she didn't confess to Naruto yet, and she will never get a chance to. That one, glorious date they had will never amount to anything else because she's _married_.

Biting her lip, she drops her chopsticks and pushes her chair back.

"Hinata, what—"

"Are you—"

"Hinata?"

"Wait a—"

Shikamaru says nothing. He only watches her with that horrible, pitying look.

"I'm sorry," she says, standing in a rush, "I have to go."

And she runs.

* * *

a/n: totally not edited/proofread, so there may be some inconsistencies. this was supposed to be shorter, but it came out like this? also i have no idea where this story is going oops


	3. Chapter 3

They eat in silence.

Shikamaru pretends not to notice his father's raised eyebrows and his mother's pointed look. He glances at Hinata, who is eating quietly and methodically. Like a doll—silent and subservient. The thought settles unpleasantly at the bottom of his stomach. He pushes the remains of his meal to the far end of the plate with his fork, metal screeching against the dish.

Everyone cringes at the sound while Shikamaru stands.

"Excuse me," he says in a monotone, "I need to go to the restroom."

His parents stare after him, but Hinata never looks at him. He sighs as he enters the restroom. Maybe splashing some water on his face will help clear his head.

* * *

"Did something happen between you and Shikamaru?" asks Yoshino-san, the second Shikamaru is out of sight.

Hinata shoves her spoon in her mouth to give herself more time to answer. _Kind of, because I'm still in love with another man and your son has no sense of empathy_ would probably not go over well. She decides on a white lie.

"No, everything is fine."

Yoshino-san gives her a stern glare. Discreetly, Shikaku-san inclines his head slightly in his wife's direction with a resigned expression that emphatically tells Hinata she should just give in already to the headstrong woman. Hinata almost smiles, before remembering that these are the parents of that—that _jerk_. She cringes at her own word choice.

"I'm sorry, Hinata," apologizes Yoshino-san, misinterpreting Hinata's wince, "I just want things to work out for you and Shikamaru. I'm not expecting you two to fall in love, but I know it must be difficult marrying someone you don't love."

Hinata wonders how Yoshino-san would know when her marriage with Shikaku-san was not an arranged marriage. Then, she shrinks in her seat, ashamed at her bitter thoughts.

Yawning, Shikaku-san pokes idly at Shikamaru's half-eaten steak before cutting out a piece of it. Yoshino-san smacks his hand down almost reflexively before he can eat it. Her eyes are still on Hinata, who shifts under the heavy gaze. Hinata reaches for a glass of water with trembling hands to cool her nerves.

"I had a one-night stand and got the girl pregnant because I didn't use protection, like an idiot."

She chokes on her water. Yoshino-san has to reach across the table to pat her back. Shikaku-san takes this window of opportunity to shove a forkful of Shikamaru's steak into his mouth. He finishes chewing by the time Hinata has stopped spluttering.

"The girl was Yoshino. She tracked me down when she found out she was pregnant—okay, not really, because I visited the same bar every weekend with my friends—and told me she planned on keeping the baby. She didn't demand child support or anything. She just told me what she was going to do and left."

His smile is soft, affectionate. Hinata feels her cheeks flush when Shikaku-san places his hand over Yoshino-san's.

Yoshino-san continues the story, her lips quirking up. "This idiot chases me after two minutes of standing in shock. And then he gets down on one knee and _proposes_. He didn't have a ring. He didn't even know my name!"

Shikaku-san huffs. "Hey, I called you 'Yoshiko', which is pretty close."

A flippant hand wave dismisses his comment. Shikaku-san presses his lips together with a roll of his eyes.

"Where was I?" Yoshino-san stares at the ring on her finger for a moment. "Right, so Shikaku proposed to me. He said he didn't think he was ready to be a father, or even a husband, but he wasn't going to let his kid grow up without a father. I said hell no and walked away."

"So, I went home and told my parents everything," says Shikaku-san, "and they were shocked. Especially my dad, who didn't understand why I wouldn't just leave Yoshino alone or just send her money if I was dead-set on taking some responsibility. He told me not to get involved and threatened to disown me.

"I convinced Yoshino to marry me—her financial situation wasn't secure, but I had transferred money from my parents' account to mine and had enough to support us two and five possible kids—and we eloped. After a week, my mom visited and said that she supported us. She also dragged my dad over and made him apologize."

"And we fell in love with each other during my pregnancy with Shikamaru," finishes Yoshino-san.

That's sweet, thinks Hinata, but also a little unsettling. Is that what they expect will happen between her and Shikamaru? Shikamaru is . . . well, here she should say some good things about him and then that she isn't romantically interested in him regardless, but she's upset with him now so there aren't any good things about him that immediately come to mind. If she really racks her mind, maybe she can come up with something—

Shikamaru is fairly good-looking, but . . . he's not Naruto-kun.

A weary sigh escapes her, tears pricking her eyes.

"Okay!" announces Yoshino-san, leaning across the table, "I wasn't going to pry anymore but clearly _something_ is wrong, Hinata."

Hinata fumbles for another lie, though she knows no one will believe her. It would be easier to tell the truth at this point, but Yoshino-san seems like she would interfere somehow and Hinata thinks that might make things worse.

"Shikamaru has been in the restroom for a long time," is what escapes her mouth.

The couple blinks. Shikaku-san shrugs.

"Weird. His steak is delicious," he comments with a satisfied grin.

"You should go check on him," orders Yoshino-san, unyielding even when Shikaku-san's grin falls.

"Check on who?"

Shikamaru sits down, picking up his fork and knife. Hinata stifles a laugh at the expression on his face when he notices his plate is empty.

"Well. It's been fun, kids." Shikaku-san stands and languidly strolls out of the restaurant.

Yoshino-san clicks her tongue in annoyance. "At least he's paying for all of this." She calls for the check as she pulls out a men's wallet from her purse and slides out a credit card.

Hinata giggles. She twists around so she can grab her purse from the back of her chair when she notices someone is staring at her.

"What?" Her voice is cool, but a touch self-conscious.

Shikamaru's eyebrows are furrowed, though his mouth is set in a firm line. His gaze is filled with resolve, but Hinata can't even begin to guess why.

"I'm sorry. I know you didn't want to marry me because of . . . well, you know. And I know that even though I haven't been actively making things difficult for you, I definitely haven't done anything to make things easier for you. When Ino asked about visiting your house, I should have said something. When being around Naruto was upsetting you, I should have done something. I've uh, sort of pitied you, to be honest, but mostly I've been apathetic about your feelings regarding our marriage and that was wrong and insensitive of me."

He speaks quickly, so Hinata has to pause for a minute to parse through his apology. He seems sincere. Already, Hinata can't associate his earnest face now with his stoic silence from four nights ago. And after hearing his apology, she can't help but feel like she has wronged Shikamaru, too.

"I . . . I should apologize too," she confesses, "because I've been acting like I'm the only victim in this situation, but you're also stuck in this marriage. I should be trying to communicate with you instead of wallowing in my feelings. I'm sorry, Shikamaru."

He looks at her in surprise before saying, "It's fine. Are we good now? I'll try harder to put your feelings into consideration."

"Yes! I will, too!"

There is a moment of contentment as Hinata beams at Shikamaru and the corner of his mouth lifts in a slight smile. Then it shatters.

"Hold on," interrupts Yoshino-san, eyes narrowed, "why haven't you two told your friends about the marriage yet? I understand not inviting them to the wedding, but I thought you two would have told them about the marriage by now!"

Shikamaru pales and Hinata wrings her hands.

The reason is, perhaps, overly simple. If their friends found out they were married, they would be teased _relentlessly_. Subtlety was not in their friends' vocabularies when they were together. Hinata likens her friends to a swarm of bees and any relationships one of their friends is currently in as a field of pollen.

Back in freshman year, Ino and Kiba had dated for a grand total of seventeen hours. The moment everyone found out, there was so much exaggerated winking, rib nudges, and sexual innuendos that Kiba had stormed off in the middle of dinner with a shout of, "I can't do this anymore! I'm breaking up with you, Ino!" And Ino had snorted and said, "Damn it, he beat me to it."

Shikamaru and Hinata both hate attention, and they would feel especially uncomfortable with everyone teasing them about their nonexistent romantic relationship despite them having already clarified that it was an arranged marriage. So, it is in their best interests to keep their marriage a secret. No one can know. Everyone becomes a blabbermouth when Ino is hunting for secrets.

They would tell the others eventually. _Eventually_.

"Too troublesome," says Shikamaru, summarizing the matter succinctly.

" _Shikamaru_."

"It's late, we better get going. Night, Mom. Tell Dad thanks for paying." With that said, Shikamaru grabs Hinata's hand and pulls her out of the restaurant before his mother can say anything else.

Hinata laughs at him until they get into his car. Shikamaru isn't as unemotional as she thought he was. He was _obviously_ fearing for his life when his mother glared at him.

* * *

a/n: the chapter lengths are so inconsistent lol when i finish this story i'm going to go back and edit the hell out of each chapter. anyway, hinata and shikamaru have cleared the air between them! i feel like they would get over fights quickly because neither of them are the type to keep grudges and they're both level-headed people. this is supposed to be the first blip in their marriage, but also a constant issue throughout the beginning of their marriage as both of them try to maintain their promises to consider each other in their marriage. they're both independent so they have trouble remembering that marriage is a partnership. it gets better tho, no worries. (also this chapter was not supposed to include shikaku and yoshino but i'm glad i did lol. otherwise this chapter would have just been shikamaru and hinata resolving their disagreements by angsting on different sides of their bedroom door with many frosty silences and crying. imagine that that happened during the four day period between this chapter and the last lol). thank you to everyone who favorited/followed/reviewed!


	4. Chapter 4

There should still be some eggs left in the refrigerator. Maybe she should make omurice tomorrow. She also needs to pick up more eggs at the grocery store. Should she ask Shikamaru to do it? He's so lazy, he rarely does chores. And does Shikamaru even like omurice? Then again, she can just make omurice for herself. But she won't feel comfortable not making a portion for him.

With a quiet sigh, Hinata turns her thoughts back to her Microbiology textbook. She needs to focus.

" _Hey_!"

Her hands fly up to cover her throbbing forehead. She glares across the table at Kiba. He smirks at her, playfully flexing the fingers he had used to flick her forehead.

"I called you three times already," he says unapologetically. "What's with you, anyway? You've been staring at the same page for ages."

"I was starting to pay attention when you hit me!"

"Ha! So you admit you weren't listening to me!"

She briefly closes her eyes, willing herself to be patient. "Kiba, please."

He raises his hands in surrender before tilting his chair back on two legs. Hinata glances pointedly at his lax posture and then at the black screen of his open laptop. She sighs again, lifting her textbook upright in a futile attempt to drag her attention back to the subject. Their Microbiology exam is in three days, so why is Kiba wasting time squinting at her like that instead of studying—

"You're hiding something."

The textbook drops to the table with a _bang_. People around them glare, and one person even shushes Hinata. She blushes. Kiba looks as though he wants to cackle at his revelation, but he opts for a near-feral grin because people are watching their table warily, as if they suspect Hinata is purposely trying to cause disturbances in the library.

"Damn, I can't believe you really _are_ hiding something," he says, taking his phone out. "Wait 'til Shino finds out. He'll be pissed!"

Hinata snatches his phone with such ferocity that Kiba shouts in alarm as she rips it from his grasp. A girl walking past their table stops, stares, shakes her head, and then strides away. The students at the tables surrounding them are glowering. Breathing heavily, Hinata tucks Kiba's phone in her bag and begins to swiftly pack up her things. She'll have to avoid the library for the rest of the month. Everyone is looking at her like she's insane, but it's not her fault, it's Kiba's!

She rushes out of the library and walks as quickly as she can. She needs to get as far away from Kiba as possible, so she can text Shino in peace. Shino is many things, petty being the most prominent of his traits. If he finds out that she has a secret she has yet to tell him, even if he doesn't know the contents of the secret itself, he will keep a grudge for weeks, if not _months_. So, if she can just get to Shino before Kiba and tell him that she has a secret that she'll reveal to him eventually, Shino will be content. As she thinks, her footsteps slow.

Kiba appears in front of her, growling.

Hinata doesn't even scream—her knees give out and her vision blurs as she comes dangerously close to fainting in shock.

"Oh fuck, Hinata!" He pats her cheeks until her eyes are wide and alert, and then he squishes her face between his hands. "You haven't fainted since high school. You scared the shit out of me, idiot!"

"You scared me," she manages to mumble despite Kiba's hold on her cheeks.

He lets her go and helps her stand up. "Yeah, well, if you didn't steal my phone . . ."

They both halt, having completely forgotten about why Hinata was being chased by Kiba in the wake of Hinata nearly losing consciousness. Discreetly, Hinata edges half a step backwards—

Like a predator, Kiba's eyes immediately catch sight of the movement and his body is in motion before Hinata can do anything more than squeak. Thankfully, he doesn't tackle her because she had almost fainted a minute ago, but Kiba does come close enough that her nose bumps into his hard chest as he checks her back pockets for his phone. She moans in pain, trying to move her hand between their bodies, so she can cradle her throbbing nose—

Someone clears their throat.

Another voice goes, "Uh."

Hinata and Kiba glance to the side, where Shikamaru and Chouji are staring at them with discomfort. Hinata wonders why they seem so awkward before realizing how she and Kiba must appear—her face is a burning red (from exertion), her head is tucked against Kiba's chest (her nose hurts), Kiba has his hands on her butt (to find his stolen phone), and a few seconds ago she moaned (because her nose still hurts).

 _Oh_.

She yelps and pushes Kiba back. "It's not what it looks like!"

Inadvertently, her eyes land on Shikamaru. Someone felt her up in front of her _husband_.

"It's exactly what it looks like!" shouts Kiba, incensed for some reason Hinata can't even begin to comprehend.

Everyone winces at his volume. Hinata holds her nose and groans, a little nasally. Sometimes, she really wishes Kiba would stop talking. In the corner of her eye, she notices Shikamaru glancing at her.

"What," says Chouji, crunching down on a potato chip with raised eyebrows, "are we looking at, exactly? I don't want to jump to conclusions, but were you or were you not touching Hinata's ass while she was moaning?"

Hinata collapses to the ground, burying her bright red face in her hands. No one helps her up in the ensuing silence after Chouji's question. She takes a few deep breaths and stands in time to find Kiba throwing his hands up in the air.

"Well, uh, yeah, I guess I touched her ass—but not for the reasons you think! Hinata stole my phone and I was just trying to get it back!" he insists. "And the moaning—I don't actually know why Hinata was doing that."

The three men turn to her. Shikamaru steps forward, pulling a hand free from his pocket; then he suddenly aborts the movement, shoving his hand back before Hinata can even guess at what he was trying to do.

"Are you okay?"

"I smashed my nose against Kiba. It . . . it doesn't hurt that much now."

She forces a smile. Everyone gives her skeptical looks.

"Let's get you an ice pack, idiot," says Kiba, grabbing her bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

He waves at Chouji and Shikamaru before walking away. Hinata stumbles over a quick goodbye to the two and then hurries after Kiba. As she catches up, she realizes he is digging through her bag.

"Kiba, no!"

Phone in hand, Kiba lifts it above both of their heads with a smirk. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't text Shino."

Hinata glares.

Kiba laughs in her face.

* * *

"Hinata? I thought you were going to have dinner with Kiba and Shino today."

Her face is buried into a cushion, so her voice is muffled when she says, "Shino uninvited me."

Shikamaru, checking the refrigerator for food since Hinata is clearly in no mood to cook, pauses. Uninvited?

" _Hinata stole my phone!"_

"Kiba's fault?"

Hinata's head moves up and down in a sad little nod. Shino is notoriously bitter about being left out of things, whether they are secrets or simple trips to the grocery store. So Hinata must have been hiding something from Shino, and Kiba discovered her secret and tried to tell Shino. Sighing, Shikamaru glances back at the refrigerator. It's full. He doesn't really want to cook today, and Hinata clearly doesn't want to cook, so—

He asks, "Do you mind take-out? I'm thinking orange chicken."

A thumb lifts weakly, falling back down a few seconds later. Okay. He thinks back to Hinata's possible secret. There's really nothing that comes to mind, except their marriage.

Shikamaru blinks.

No, not possible. Hinata would be a complete mess if that were the case—not that she isn't a mess now. She had been looking forward to having dinner with her two best friends because she was too busy until now.

He shrugs to himself and reaches for his phone to call the Chinese restaurant he likes.

Hinata will be fine. She's more resilient than she appears.

* * *

[Hey! Want to get some ramen tomorrow?]

She stares at the message for a long time. Once her eyes begin to burn, she blinks and begins a carefully crafted response.

[Sorry! I'm having lunch with Hanabi tomorrow.]

Naruto-kun replies before the guilt Hinata feels for lying to her crush can start to gnaw at her insides. A gif of a man pouting appears on her phone screen. She can't help the immediate curve of her lips. Then—

[It's ok tho we can have lunch some other time!]

No, she thinks, but she can't bear to let Naruto down.

[Yes] She furiously backspaces. [Naruto-kun, I'm] Instead of hitting the backspace button again, her finger slips and hits send.

[Yea?]

Hinata pats her cheeks, hopefully waking herself up. The words had instinctively come out of her and she's not even sure of what she was trying to say. Naruto-kun, I'm in love with you? Naruto-kun, I'm married? Either option would be a disaster.

[Naruto-kun, I'm free on Friday night so I'm going to the bar with the others. Are you going too?]

It sounds like she wants him to come, Hinata reflects after rereading her own message. She can admit that there is a small— _large_ —part of her that wants to see Naruto-kun again, but she also wants to avoid him because lying to someone she cares about so deeply _hurts_.

[I can't it's my dad's birthday. Definitely next time]

Hinata buries her face in her arms and tries to pretend that the hollowness in her chest is because she's relieved. Disappointment is for people with expectations and she doesn't have expectations of a relationship with Naruto-kun.

* * *

"Watch out for—oh, never mind." Chouji winces, his sympathetic stare fixed on Hinata's sopping wet form.

Sasuke silently hands the apologetic man the two glasses he had caught just before they hit the ground.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you!"

Hinata doesn't reply, eyes glazed over and cheeks flushed. Then, she falls to her knees and starts dry heaving. Sighing, Shikamaru exchanges a look with Chouji. He had expected Kiba to be completely wasted—said man is having a rowdy drinking contest with Lee, Sakura, Ino, and Sai in the next booth—but Hinata? It's difficult for him to imagine, even with the reality in front of him. Hinata groans with teary eyes and Shikamaru _almost_ gets up to help her because she looks so damn pitiful. He hesitates, though, and then Tenten is approaching Hinata with a glass of water. She helps Hinata take little sips.

"Who thought it was a good idea to let Hinata get drunk?" demands Tenten.

"I usually watch Hinata's alcohol intake, but I did not this time. Why? Because I am ignoring her." Despite his monotonous voice, Shikamaru can tell Shino is genuinely sorry.

"I'm more worried about why Hinata wanted to get drunk," says Chouji.

Everyone falls silent.

Then Kiba stands on the seats of the booth beside theirs, leaning over with a furtive gaze. Everyone leans forward as he cups his hands around his mouth.

"She failed her Microbiology exam!" he loudly whispers. "Hinata told me when we had ramen yesterday."

Everyone with the misfortune of being near Kiba wrinkles their noses at his breath. Meanwhile, Hinata is weeping drunkenly into Tenten's shoulder. Shikamaru stares hard at a spot on the table, trying to drown out the noise around him through sheer concentration. Why did he let Chouji and Ino talk him into coming, again?

"Don't cry, Hinata . . . Seriously, you're just dehydrating yourself even more!" says Tenten, rubbing the girl's back.

Wincing when Hinata wipes her snotty, tear-streaked face on Tenten's sleeve, Chouji takes a few napkins from the table and hands them to the crying girl. Tenten grimaces as she strokes Hinata's hair.

"Someone needs to take Hinata home. Does anyone know where she lives now?" announces Tenten.

"Her dad's house, right? Kiba—" Chouji eyes Kiba, who is laughing raucously as Sakura slaps Lee across the face. Ino lunges across the table to hold back Sakura when Sai makes a rude comment about the pink-haired girl's face, but Kiba is left to fend for himself when Sakura turns her attention onto him. "Uh, never mind. Shino?"

He shakes his head. "I do not know the address. I also do not recommend allowing Hinata's father to see her in this state."

Shikamaru splutters into his glass of water. He doesn't even want to contemplate Hiashi's reaction to a drunk Hinata and his subsequent lectures directed at both Hinata and Shikamaru for not acting appropriately. One thing that really annoys Shikamaru about being married (aside from not being in love with his wife and having a strict father-in-law) is that he is responsible for Hinata and vice versa. He had been too busy dozing on the table to see Hinata drink herself into a stupor, but she has also been strangely gloomy and pensive in the past few days—he doubts her Microbiology exam is the sole reason—so he decided to give her space unless she starts crying, at which point he planned to hand Hinata over to his mom. Hinata is crying right now, but Shikamaru is unsure whether she has reached her breaking point, or the alcohol is amplifying her emotions. Then again, maybe the fact that she let herself get drunk in the first place means that she really needs his (mom's) support. Stifling a groan, Shikamaru makes a mental note to visit his mother on Sunday with Hinata in tow if he can't solve whatever is going on with Hinata by the end of tomorrow.

"Are you okay?" asks Chouji in concern.

Shikamaru opens his mouth to tell him that he's just tired when he hears Tenten say, "I'll text Neji to let Hinata crash at his place."

The words come out automatically. "I'm going to head home right now. You don't need to text Neji. I can drop Hinata off at his apartment on the way to mine."

"Oh, great! Neji always gets cranky when he misses some of his 'beauty sleep'," says Tenten, rolling her eyes. "You're sober, right?"

Chouji gives Shikamaru a weird look before breaking into an exasperated smile. "I'm pretty sure all Shikamaru's done tonight is drink water and nap."

Shikamaru nods, careful to keep his breathing even and relaxed. He's trying to steady his racing heart, which had almost skipped a beat at the sound of Neji's name. Neji is of course aware that Shikamaru and Hinata are married because he is the latter's cousin. However, he frowns on keeping the marriage a secret and only agreed to keep it under wraps for Hinata's sake. Unfortunately, this doesn't stop Neji from dropping heavy hints about the marriage when Hinata isn't present. Neji definitely would have insinuated that Hinata should go home with Shikamaru if Tenten had texted him. And Neji would rip Shikamaru apart for not taking care of Hinata.

Shikamaru is not very fond of his in-laws.

"Troublesome."

He slides out of the booth and crouches down in front of Hinata. She looks up at him, her long eyelashes fluttering slowly and her pink lips slightly parted. For a moment, all he does is stare back. Her face is so red that he thinks if he leans closer, he would be able to feel the heat radiating off her soft skin.

"S-Shikamaru?"

Swallowing, he notices that his left hand is holding her forearm and that he's far too close to her for _his_ comfort. He knows the others are watching him, so he doesn't flinch away from Hinata, even though his skin is prickling where it is touching hers.

He licks his dry lips. "Hey, help me out here. You need to stand up."

She squints at him before nodding. Trembling, she rises slowly. Shikamaru guides her back onto her feet, only releasing her forearm so he can move her other arm over his shoulders. Hinata resists the motion, almost falling to the floor when she pushes at Shikamaru's chest.

"Where . . ." she slurs, keeping herself upright by clutching Shikamaru's shirt, much to his dismay, "are w-we . . . going?"

"He's going to take you to Neji's place!" says Tenten helpfully.

Hinata groans. "N-No, I want . . ."

"I'm taking you home," mutters Shikamaru, hoping that if the others hear, they will assume that he is simply lying to soothe her.

He flinches when Hinata sighs in relief and buries her face against his shoulder. Scowling, he glances back at his friends.

"Don't push her away," says Shino, correctly guessing Shikamaru's thoughts. How troublesome. "Why? Because Hinata will fall over and hurt herself."

Sasuke, oddly enough, is staring at Hinata with an eyebrow raised. Shikamaru grits his teeth and subtly shifts so that Hinata is further hidden in his arms, though he still feels enormously uncomfortable.

Tenten laughs as she pulls out her phone. "I wish you could see your face, Shikamaru."

In the neighboring booth, Sai turns around to see. "Interesting. That expression resembles the one Dog Breath makes when he is required to do some thinking." He pauses, his head tilting to the side. "Is he capable of thinking?"

Kiba must have splashed his drink at Sai, though all Shikamaru can see is a spray of alcohol flying past Sai's ducked head and soaking Sasuke and Tenten. Sasuke whips around in his seat to snarl at Kiba, but Tenten only sighs and cleans herself up with a napkin.

"Shut up. Chouji, can you get her off me and carry her to my car?" Shikamaru's daily quota of physical contact has long been exceeded.

Chouji easily lifts Hinata into his arms and follows Shikamaru outside as the others chorus goodbyes. He places Hinata down in the passenger seat of Shikamaru's car and buckles the seatbelt over her dozing form. Shikamaru thanks him, briefly reaching across Hinata to close her door, and starts the engine. But he doesn't drive away.

Shikamaru rolls down the window on the passenger side. "What? You just standing there without saying anything is creeping me out."

Chouji blinks, hesitates, and then asks, "You're not tipsy, right?"

"You _know_ I didn't drink anything, Chouji."

"I know, I know. But you're acting weird and I . . . Um, is everything okay? You don't have to tell me what the problem is. Just let me know if there's anything I can do to help!"

If Shikamaru had to tell only one person about his marriage, it would be Chouji. He didn't realize how stifled he feels by keeping the marriage a secret from his friends, even though he is still reluctant to tell anyone because he doesn't want the marriage to change the way his friends treat him and Hinata. And he knows telling everyone will lead to his friends unsubtly seating him beside Hinata, planning outings together but ditching so that Shikamaru can be alone with Hinata, and other bothersome attempts to create a spark of romance between him and Hinata. Shikamaru frequently lets other people nag him into doing things he doesn't like but doing what he is told to has never changed his displeasure about the actions themselves. If his mother badgers him about exercising, he'll run on the treadmill under her close supervision, but that doesn't mean he will suddenly begin to enjoy running because he listened to his mother—after all, he only ran because he was forced to. He agreed to marry Hinata, but there has never been a point in which he could say he was glad to be married. Shikamaru's not going to put up with people pressuring him to fall in love with Hinata.

His face twists, but he composes himself and quickly straightens his expression. A glance at Chouji tells him he wasn't fast enough, judging by the deepening of the already present wrinkles in Chouji's brow.

"I'm keeping a secret from everyone," admits Shikamaru, "but you'll be the first person I tell. Just . . . promise me that you won't be annoying about it."

"Uh, what qualifies as 'annoying'?"

"If I say, 'troublesome', you'll know."

"You say that all the time—" Chouji catches sight of Shikamaru's expression and frowns. "Alright, I promise. I hope I won't regret this."

Shikamaru chuckles. "Thanks, Chouji."

* * *

a/n: i really have no idea where i'm going with this story so feel free to send in (reasonable for a college/arranged marriage au) prompts. like seeing shikamaru and hinata have dinner with the rest of the hyuuga family (don't suggest this because i already plan on writing it lol). i can't promise i'll incorporate all of the prompts, though. i have a lot of thoughts about this chapter, mostly about what a pain it was to write. i don't like the way it ended and i think i showed my love for kibahina (romantic and platonic! but no worries, in this fic kiba just likes hinata platonically) too blatantly lol. also i love chouji and shikamaru. bffs. i really wanted to introduce hinata's close friends and shikamaru's closeness with chouji. i tried to include other characters, but a lot of them are just . . . there (sasuke . . . i'm sorry), because shikamaru and hinata notice what other people are doing but don't really directly interact with them. in the friend group, there are plenty of people who would be awkward if they were left alone together (prior to being married, this would be hinata and shikamaru. now if they were left alone they would small talk) because they interact better in a group (or in groups of threes lol like their teams). thank you for reviewing/favoriting/following/reading!


	5. Chapter 5

It's three in the morning and Hinata has been sleeping for three hours. Shikamaru is checking his email because he recently finished an important presentation for one of his classes and he's in a state of tiredness where he can't quite fall asleep despite his exhaustion. It might have something to do with him sleeping through all of his Friday classes (he waited until the last minute to pick his courses and ended up with some truly terrible class times, notably his Finance class at 7:30 on Friday mornings).

An email from his mother catches his attention. Shikamaru grumbles to himself at the missing subject line. He clicks on the email and is suddenly assaulted by images of popular vacation spots. The picturesque turquoise waters of Bora Bora make him narrow his eyes. He scrolls down to bypass all the pictures and he skims the single line of text his mother left at the end of the message.

"Where do you and Hinata want to go for your honeymoon?" he reads aloud before groaning.

He scrolls back up and sees that his mother also sent the email to Hinata so there's no chance that Shikamaru can pretend he never received the email. Maybe he can convince Hinata that they don't need to go on a honeymoon. Before the wedding, his parents had implied that he and Hinata could decide on honeymoon plans by themselves and the Nara and Hyuuga families would cover the costs together. Shikamaru would much rather stay in bed than go somewhere romantic with Hinata. He'll have to bring up cancelling any honeymoon plans with Hinata later, after interrogating her about what's been bothering her lately.

Since he arrived home with a drunk Hinata in tow, he is even more sure that the main issue Hinata is so upset over isn't the Microbiology exam she failed. Hinata doesn't give up easily. For instance, Hinata is good at cooking but not very experienced in baking. She recently tried making cinnamon rolls for the first time—apparently, her family banned her from baking at home because her batch of cupcakes caught fire and destroyed the oven—and although she didn't burn down the apartment, Shikamaru wasn't able to recognize that the glob of cinnamon-covered dough she presented him was a cinnamon roll. For the next week or so, she zealously made cinnamon rolls at least twice a day, improving bit by bit, until she took a bite of her own cinnamon rolls and started crying because of how delicious it was. Shikamaru remembers this vividly because he had walked into the kitchen for a snack and saw Hinata chewing a cinnamon roll with tears silently rolling down her cheeks. He backed out of the kitchen without a snack. But, as the cinnamon roll incident proved, if Hinata fails, she will pick herself up and try again. She wouldn't get drunk and cry about it instead of trying to improve.

Shikamaru shuts down his laptop and turns on his phone. Instagram opens under his thumb as he tries to figure out what's wrong with Hinata. On his phone screen, a blond man wearing a ridiculously small party hat beams from behind a three-tiered cake, his arm slung around his grinning son— _Naruto_.

It clicks.

His immediate reaction is frustration and annoyance, but he recalls the promise he made with Hinata to think about her feelings more and starts to feel guilty. Shikamaru rubs his temples and glances down at his phone. He's not sure how to comfort Hinata and he knows his typical bluntness will only hurt her even more. With touchy, emotional matters, it's best for Shikamaru to seek advice from an emotional expert.

"You better have a really fucking good reason for calling me at three in the goddamn morning," hisses Ino, groaning.

Shikamaru clears his throat. "I need your help."

"Oh?"

He rolls his eyes at how fast her tone brightened. "I have . . . a friend, who is hung up on someone. Their feelings are mutual, probably—I think my friend is more invested than the other person, but the other person is definitely interested—but for some complicated reasons, my friend can't be with the person they like. How do I get them to move on?"

"Okay. First of all, you're trying too hard to be gender-neutral about a friend who's obviously a woman."

". . . What are you talking about?"

"You had that tone you use when talking about women," she informs him. "It's a mix of irritation, weariness, and mostly confusion."

"Fine, whatever. I'm talking about a female friend. Can you help me or not?" he demands. He is distantly aware that his refusal to divulge anything else about his "female friend" is raising warning bells in Ino's mind, but he also knows she won't push him if he's truly uncomfortable.

She clicks her tongue. "Calm down, of course I'll help you."

Shikamaru sighs. Since he and Hinata got married, they have only had one proper conversation about problems that have arisen from their marriage—and it was facilitated by his mother's presence, as well as being more like mutual apologies than a thorough talk. He needs to sit down and talk with Hinata because he really believes that at this point, their marriage will fall apart sooner rather than later. Shikamaru isn't accustomed to feeling so constantly frustrated by another person. He can't ignore Hinata like he does with others, not when they live in such close quarters.

"It sounds like your friend trusts you a lot if she told you about her situation—" Shikamaru almost snorts, but he holds his breath when Ino pauses suspiciously. She scoffs at him. "I wasn't going to pry, but if you're going to keep dropping fucking _hints_ in front of me when I'm trying to _help_ —"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Ino takes a deep breath, clearly forcing herself to accept Shikamaru's poor lie. "Anyway, I know you really hate it when people mope around, but you should let the poor girl cry. It's unhealthy to repress feelings and if she sees the guy she likes again—"

"I forgot to mention that my friend and that guy have mutual friends so there's no way she can avoid him," adds Shikamaru.

". . . Ugh. As I was saying, _when_ she sees him again, she'll have a breakdown if she was repressing her feelings. That said, although you should give your friend time to be sad, don't let her stew in her feelings too much and become depressed. If it looks like she needs a breather from her emotions, do your best to distract her. Take her out to lunch, study with her, or whatever. And talk to her. Not to be cheesy, but communication _is_ key. It sounds like you're not getting along with her right now, and I'm guessing it's because you two are venting frustrations at each other but not trying to fix anything. Think before you speak and use "I" statements because I'm a hundred percent positive that you have at least a dozen critical "you" statements about her on your tongue right now."

"Uh."

"Don't say stuff like, 'I hate it when you cry all the time'. Try saying, 'I feel frustrated when I see you crying because I don't like it when you're sad'."

He holds his tongue, trying to reword his abrasive thoughts into non-accusatory "I" statements he can tell Hinata. Ino allows him to think, staying quiet and not hanging up in case Shikamaru has something to say. He appreciates it.

"Thanks," he says finally, "I'll try to follow your advice."

She laughs. "You'll be fine. And if you call me this early again, I'll kill you."

"Thanks again. 'Night. Or good morning?"

"Shut up. Good night."

Once Ino hangs up, Shikamaru's gaze switches from his phone to the bedroom door. It would be easier, he thinks, if he wakes Hinata up now and talks to her while she's still out of it. It would also be underhanded, says a part of his conscience, which has Chouji's warm voice and Ino's firm tone. It would also deprive him of more sleep, adds his brain, coupling this thought with a headache. He makes his decision easily.

Shikamaru enters the bedroom and collapses onto his side of the bed. He makes sure that the body pillow in the center of the bed is adequately keeping Hinata from taking over more space on the bed as well as keeping her cuddling tendencies occupied. As if on cue, Hinata mumbles something incoherent in her sleep and swings a leg over the body pillow, tucking it closer to her. Her lavender duvet is near her feet and halfway on the floor. Shikamaru pulls it up and over Hinata's shoulders. Then, he tucks his own black duvet around him and drifts into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Shikamaru wakes to the sound of groaning. He keeps his eyes squeezed shut, resisting his instinctive desire to check the time. Whatever time it is, it's too early. On the other side of the bed, Hinata shifts around, making pained noises. He idly wonders if she will notice the painkillers and glass of water on her nightstand.

Hinata gasps softly. He hears her moving around, and then the quiet _clink_ of a glass bumping against the lamp on Hinata's nightstand. It's honestly a little creepy to be pretending to sleep while listening to Hinata gulp down water and sigh, but he can't seem to fall back asleep and he wants to postpone talking to her for a little while longer. He rolls over, burying his face into his pillow.

"Shikamaru . . . ?"

He is silent, keeping his breathing slow and even. His muscles relax when he hears Hinata leave the room. Despite Ino's advice, he is dreading talking to Hinata.

A few minutes later, Shikamaru hears footsteps approach. Hinata is standing by his side of the bed. He has a sinking feeling and digs his fingers into his pillow, just as Hinata tries to rip it away from his head. When he successfully defends his pillow, she tears his duvet off the bed. Goosebumps rise on Shikamaru's skin at the sudden chill.

"You're awake!" says Hinata, sounding pleasantly surprised as Shikamaru drags himself into a sitting position.

He picks up his duvet from off the floor and drapes it over his head and shoulders, keeping only his face visible. Hinata smiles at him. Shikamaru stares at her bloodshot eyes and pasty complexion. Her lips are chapped and trembling.

"Something's bothering you," he begins, lowering his pity-filled gaze to a loose thread on his sleeve.

She sits cross-legged on the end of the mattress, tugging her covers over her shoulders. The silence is stifling. Pale hands twist in the sheets.

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and ask if it has anything to do with Naruto."

He raises his eyes slightly to gauge her reaction and manages to catch the flush rising up her neck. He waits.

She mumbles, "He texted me. He wants . . . to eat ramen with me." For Shikamaru, that is not a very tempting offer and it's also an offer Naruto gives out frequently to friends, but he understands that Hinata must have wanted, after years of pining after Naruto, to accept.

He carefully chooses his words in his head, but somehow ends up saying, "You—I mean, _I_ . . . think you should tell Naruto that you aren't interested in dating him anymore. You haven't done that yet, right?"

"No," answers Hinata, but she sounds horrified. "I can't—I _should_ tell him, but if I do—"

"You'll feel like your chances with him are completely gone," he guesses.

She doesn't nod so much as sharply jerk her chin up and down. Shikamaru makes eye contact with her and forces himself to keep his gaze locked on hers, trying to emit as much sincerity as he can.

"I'm sorry. I really am. Now that Naruto's finally got his head out of his ass, you two could've been a really great couple." Hinata lights up in Naruto's presence, though she hasn't done so lately. "But now that we're married, dating Naruto is impossible and you need to accept that."

Hinata bursts into tears. Having expected this outcome, Shikamaru twists to grab a tissue from the box sitting on his nightstand and holds it out to Hinata. She accepts it, but her tears continue to flow.

"It's okay if you want to explain to him that we're in an arranged marriage," he tells her quietly.

She gestures slightly for another tissue, which Shikamaru promptly supplies.

"I don't know. I don't know if . . . Naruto-kun will understand."

Shikamaru wouldn't tell Naruto, if it was his choice. Telling Naruto about the arranged marriage would confirm to Naruto that Hinata still has feelings for him, and both of them would suffer, because they will continue to like each other even if they can't be together. Alternately, if Hinata tells Naruto she isn't interested anymore, Naruto will be hurt but he will move on because he will believe that his feelings will never be returned. And perhaps even worse is that Naruto is Naruto—bold, blunt, and unrepentantly free of social expectations. If Naruto had been set up in an arranged marriage (though Shikamaru can't even imagine Minato-san or Kushina-san doing that to their son), he would have refused and quite possibly eloped with someone. Naruto won't be able to understand why Hinata couldn't— _didn't_ —say no. (Shikamaru understands. And he won't let Naruto disapprove of Hinata's—their—decision.)

"I know you don't want to lie to Naruto. You can just say that you're already in a relationship, which is true."

"Isn't that lying by omission?" she asks, and just thinking about the prospect seems to make her weep even more.

"Technically—"

"A—And doesn't that sound like I cheated on my boyfriend with Naruto-kun?"

"We got married after you had that first date with Naruto," points out Shikamaru.

"Naruto-kun will wonder why I . . . started going out with someone after we had our d-date together."

"You had a great time with Naruto, and you were looking forward to going on another date with him, but someone else—uh, I guess _I_ confessed to you, but don't mention me by name. You decided to give me a chance and our date went well so we started dating. Since then, you've been struggling to tell Naruto because you didn't want to hurt his feelings," suggests Shikamaru.

Hinata doesn't speak for a long moment, her shoulders hunched and her head lowered. He holds out another tissue to her before he catches sight of her expression. Tears drip down Hinata's face, but her eyes are squeezed shut as though she is trying to restrain her tears. Her nose is scrunched up, runny, and a rosy red like the rest of her face. The dark bags under her eyes seem especially prominent now.

All Shikamaru can think is that he's never seen a woman look so ugly in his entire life.

He scoots closer to Hinata. With one hand, he gently tilts her chin up. Pale eyes spring open, but Shikamaru ignores her and wipes her face clean with his tissue.

"I get irritated when you cry," he admits. "You're prettier when you smile. And ever since we got married, you've been smiling less often."

A quiet gasp escapes her lips. Her eyes are wide.

He sighs. "Well, I can't get irritated at you for crying right now. I know you've been keeping problems to yourself and letting them fester because the only person you can talk to about them is me—and well, I've been an asshole." Shikamaru grabs a tissue and offers it to Hinata. "I said it before, but I am sorry. Cry all you want. You deserve that and more."

Shikamaru yelps. His arms are suddenly full of a sobbing Hinata, who is quickly dampening the fabric of his shirt. He feels awkward, like yesterday, and he's hyperaware of the warmth of Hinata's body pressed against his. Before he can decide to shove her away, Hinata tightens her arms around him and whimpers. Fuck, he thinks. Hesitantly, Shikamaru keeps one arm around her waist and uses his free hand to stroke her hair, uncoincidentally the same way Chouji and Ino like to be comforted. Shikamaru can feel Hinata shuddering beneath his fingertips.

Hinata sobs for what feels like hours. Shikamaru never pushes her off, despite his discomfort. Even when he gets so tired that he falls backwards onto the mattress and Hinata is a heavy weight on his chest, he lets her stay there. When Hinata eventually falls asleep from exhaustion, Shikamaru doesn't bother to move Hinata or try to get up.

He closes his eyes and sleeps, an arm still curled around Hinata.

* * *

Two steps forward and one step backwards.

Since Shikamaru and Hinata woke up with their arms around each other and their legs entwined, things have been awkward. The tension from before is no longer present, but Shikamaru is almost more bothered by the awkwardness than the tension. Hinata resembles a tomato if he so much as glances at her and Shikamaru goes through great lengths to make sure he and Hinata won't make physical contact. Once, Hinata had been standing behind him as he rummaged through the refrigerator, and when he realized his elbow was close to touching her, he almost flung himself into the open refrigerator door to back away. Hinata's usual blush was absent as she gave him an odd look and asked him to move aside so she could grab a drink in the shelf he was pressed up against.

Shikamaru swiftly got tired of them dancing around each other, so he enacted the "distraction" portion of Ino's advice. He asked Hinata to have lunch with him at a café and she agreed. After her final class, they walked together to the café, occasionally glancing up at the darkening sky. At the café, they received their drinks quickly but are forced to wait for their food in an awkward silence. Hinata is the first to break under the pressure and she brings up a terrible conversation starter.

They engage in a stilted chat about the weather. The clouds in the sky are gray and heavy, nothing like the white, puffy clouds Shikamaru enjoys watching when the sky is a bright blue and blades of grass are tickling his skin. He doesn't say this to Hinata when she brings up the bad weather. He only tells her that he hates rain, and the sky punctuates his statement by drizzling water onto the streets. Rain droplets leave paths on the café's windows, distorting the view of people scattering for shelter. Sitting across from him, Hinata is staring wistfully at the rain. She's probably one of those people who likes to dance in the rain, he thinks, and it is easy to imagine her wet bangs pressed against her forehead and the grin on her reddened lips as she tilts her head back so the rain can pepper her face. Shikamaru grimaces at the thought. He should stop watching movies with Chouji and Ino. Lately, both of them have been dragging him to sappy romantic films, though admittedly Chouji forces him to come because Ino is the type who likes to excitedly or angrily slap the arm of the person sitting next to her and having two arms at her disposal means the pain is more evenly dispersed.

As the rain shifts, pounding against the roof and windows, Hinata jolts and dives into her bag. She pulls out item after item, setting them on the table. Even in her frantic state, Hinata neatly organizes everything. Chapstick, lotion, and a tube of mascara are bunched together in the corner. Two notebooks and three thin paperbacks are stacked on top of one another. Shikamaru can tell that the topmost paperback is written in a foreign language. He reaches out and angles the stack towards himself so he can read the titles of the books. Hinata slides the books back into her bag before Shikamaru can get a proper glimpse. He inhales deeply at the sound of Hinata's upset sigh.

"What were you looking for." He hadn't meant to sound so monotonous, but it bothers him that the one time he shows interest in Hinata's things, he is deterred by Hinata, of all people. It's petty of him, so he reaches for his coffee and takes a large gulp to center himself. At least Hinata didn't seem to mind his tone.

"I didn't bring my umbrella," she says, wringing her hands. "We'll have to wait until the rain is gone to leave."

"Well, we don't have any more classes today so we're not in a rush," he replies, though he is uncomfortable spending time with Hinata.

She gives him a small smile that Shikamaru would have believed if she isn't clutching her cup of tea so tightly. He is well aware that he makes her equally uncomfortable.

No one speaks.

Hinata is chewing her lip and now Shikamaru is the one who is trying to think of something to say. Then someone calls out the number for their order and the pair stares at each other, wondering who will go get it. Shikamaru mutters under his breath and stands, heading towards the counter. As he picks up their sandwiches, he eyes the display of baked goods.

The whole reason he had chosen this café was because it has good cinnamon rolls. And yet, Hinata only gave the cinnamon rolls a longing stare before ordering a sandwich.

"Excuse me, can I also have one cinnamon roll?" he asks, because sometimes the way to a woman's heart is her stomach. Or so Chouji says.

He has to go back to the cash register to pay for the cinnamon roll, but he leaves the sandwiches on their table. Hinata watches him leave with a furrow of her eyebrows. Shikamaru is forced to the end of the line at the only working cash register, and though there are only three people in front of him, he is immediately mentally and physically exhausted. By the time he returns to the table with a cinnamon roll in tow, he half-wishes Hinata had gotten the food instead. Hinata takes one glance at his face and immediately returns her attention back to her sandwich. Shikamaru tries to stop frowning as he shoves the cinnamon roll towards Hinata.

She licks her lips at the sight of the cinnamon roll but pushes it away. "Shikamaru, you ordered this."

"It's for you."

Before he is even done talking, he looks down at his sandwich and takes a large bite. It's not bad. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees fingers dragging the cinnamon roll's plate away from his side of the table. The smirk that rises to his lips is hard to suppress.

He looks up at Hinata. Already, a chunk of the cinnamon roll is gone. Hinata's eyes flutter close as she takes another bite.

"How did you know I like cinnamon rolls?" she asks after a moment of savoring the flavor.

"The cinnamon roll incident."

Hinata's fork stops halfway on its path to her mouth. " . . . 'The cinnamon roll incident' . . . ?"

Shikamaru belatedly realizes that although she did offer him her first attempt at a cinnamon roll, Hinata doesn't know that he watched her go through sixteen servings of cinnamon roll ingredients a day for an entire week afterwards in her efforts to create a delicious cinnamon roll.

"After you gave me that really terrible . . . cinnamon roll," he begins, a note of exasperation in his tone, "I saw you crying in the kitchen over a cinnamon roll. I'm still a little traumatized."

Hinata blushes furiously. "My father wouldn't let me bake after I ruined the oven. But after we moved into our apartment, I realized that I could start baking again since we have a new oven. And I wanted to make cinnamon rolls first, because . . ."

She stops.

Her face isn't red anymore, so Shikamaru knows she isn't embarrassed. Her eyes aren't watering, so Shikamaru knows she isn't sad—no, he corrects himself. Hinata's eyes are glazed over and she's staring in his direction, but it is painfully clear that she is looking through him. Her hand clenches around her fork for maybe five seconds—and then it goes slack.

"Because I used to make them with my mother. It's been a long time, so they weren't good in the beginning, but the last batch I made . . . um, it reminded me of the cinnamon rolls she baked."

She doesn't cry, but she doesn't smile either. The pain is an old ache, he guesses. Her mother died when she was young, but the passage of time has made Hinata treasure the memories of her mother deeply, even if her grief isn't as constant as it used to be.

Shikamaru picks up her fork and stabs a piece of the cinnamon roll, to Hinata's horror. He chews the piece thoughtfully, swallows, and then comments, "It's alright. I'm sure your cinnamon rolls taste better."

The corners of her mouth twitch upwards. "Haven't you already tried one of my cinnamon rolls?"

"That wasn't a cinnamon roll," he says flatly.

"I'll make more cinnamon rolls this weekend," promises Hinata, laughing.

He gives her a dubious look in response, despite his previous affirmation of faith in her cinnamon roll skills, that sends Hinata into a fit of giggles. It's weird, he thinks. Talking to Hinata isn't supposed to be this easy. It's surprisingly . . . not troublesome. Shikamaru contemplates this, casting a quick look at the windows. The rain outside has lightened considerably, enough for them to be able to dart into the convenience store around the corner and grab an umbrella to go home with, but Shikamaru finds himself unwilling to leave.

"So," he says, propping his head up on one elbow, "what else can you make?"

* * *

a/n: i'm not sure if this will ever be explicitly mentioned in the story (lol tho this is a college au), but shikamaru is a business major and hinata is a bio major. they don't have any classes in common. hinata and shikamaru both have classes mon-fri, but hinata's classes typically start around 9 and end in the afternoon. shikamaru's classes are mostly from afternoon to the evening, with some exceptions (i won't list them all but there's his early morning friday class and on wed, both he and hinata only have two classes that day with their final classes ending around noon-ish) because he waited until the last minute to pick his classes. also, the honeymoon wasn't discussed with hinata in this chapter but will be brought up again later. and btw shikamaru's solution for the naruto problem is not the ideal and mainly focuses on keeping naruto away from hinata. and hinata doesn't quite agree with it, but she's also very tired of hurting and wants to distance herself. thank you to those who suggested prompts, i'm keeping everything in mind and they really boosted my creativity, so this chapter is out within the month, haha. thank you to everyone who favorited/followed/reviewed! if you review this time, i'd love to know why you ship shikahina!


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